1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to windmill spokes and more particularly pertains to a new support spoke for a windmill for supporting blade rings of a windmill.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of windmill spokes is known in the prior art. More specifically, windmill spokes heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
In particular, windmill spokes known in the art have threaded ends and fixed arms that attach to an inner ring of the windmill. However, the spokes are not timed to the various parts of the windmill. As a result, the arms that couple a pair of spokes together at their center do not align when the spokes are fully threaded into the various parts of the windmill. Therefore, when installing the spokes, the spokes have to be rotated to align the arms. However, this loosens the spokes from the other parts of the windmill, and after a short period of use, vibrations cause wear on and finally tear the threads out of the parts of the windmill to which the spokes are attached.
Solutions to the above problem have been long sought. One method was to twist the center of the spoke with respect to its ends. However, this weakened the spoke. Another method was to place lead washers between outer flanges of the spokes and the parts of the windmill to which the spokes are attached and then align the arms. However, the lead washers eventually were squeezed out by the vibrations.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,375; U.S. Pat. No. 523,842; U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,714; U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,796; U.S. Pat. No. 515,408; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,103,910; U.S. Pat. No. 244,971; U.S. Pat. No. 766,662; and U.S. Pat. No. 997,819.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new support spoke for a windmill. The inventive device includes an elongate rod with opposite first and second ends and a longitudinal axis extending between the ends. The first end is coupled to an outer ring of a fan portion of a windmill. The second end is adapted for threadable coupling to a hub of the fan portion of the windmill. An arm is rotatably coupled to the rod and is adapted for coupling to an inner ring of the fan portion of the windmill. A holding portion selectively prevents rotation of the arm about the rod to prevent loosening of the rod.
In these respects, the support spoke for a windmill according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of supporting blade rings of a windmill.